DIADASIA PATTON; A GENUS OF BEES 



T. D. A. COCKERELL. 



THE genus Diadasia was first described by Patton in the 

 Bulletin of the United States Geological Survey (vol. 5, p. 475). 

 The type is the Melissodes enavata of Cresson, which, as 

 Patton showed, is nearer to Anthophora than to Melissodes. 

 The genus occurs in our southwestern States, and is, undoubt- 

 edly, of neotropical derivation. Ashmead has recently placed 

 it as a synonym of the South American Ancyloscelis Latreille, 

 but it appears to me to be sufficiently distinct. 



Our species of Diadasia have not hitherto been tabulated, and 

 as I have now seen* all the species but one, I offer tables for 

 their identification. The species of Cresson are in the collec- 

 tion at the Philadelphia Academy ; I have been permitted to 

 borrow cotypes from that institution, through Mr. Viereck, and 

 this has enabled me to clear up several doubtful points. En- 

 technia toluca (Melissodes toluca Cresson) and Dasiapis ochracea 

 Ckll., are included in the table, as the first has for some years 

 stood in our lists as a Diadasia, while the latter is often mis- 

 taken for a species of that genus. 



FEMALES. 



Hair of head and thorax above short and dense, orange fulvous ; abdomen 

 with four clean cut bands of fulvous tomentum on a black ground ; outer 

 side of basal joint of hind tarsi with very long, strongly plumose, dark 

 chocolate-colored hairs ; inner side of this joint with shining dark ferru- 

 ginous hair ; tegulae red ; flagellunrall dark; front rough with very close 

 punctures ....... sumichrasti (Cresson). 



Hair of thorax not thus colored ; or if fulvous, abdomen not thus banded i . 



1. Scopa on outside of hind legs dark gray or blackish (in afflicta paler on 

 basal part of tibiae.) . . . . . . . 2. 



Scopa on outside of hind legs white, or not gray or blackish . 4. 



2. Very small ; less than 8 mm. long ; abdomen with narrow bands of 

 tomentum on apical margins of segments ; mesothorax and scutellum 



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